In the development of subdivisions and shopping centers, in urban expansion, and in road and highway construction, huge quantities of earth often must be either removed or disturbed leaving large areas of exposed land without any cover or means to prevent erosion. Not only do good environmental practices require erosion control but so do many local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
In addition to requiring control of the quantity and flow of water from sites being developed, the quality of the water is also subject to regulatory requirements that grow more stringent each year. These stringent storm water regulations require more than conventional silt fencing products and straw bales. The Clean Water Act is changing the face of erosion control devices. Noncompliance with the National Pollutions Discharge Elimination System, Phase II Storm Water Regulations, implemented in 2005, is subject to administrative orders, civil actions, and/or criminal prosecutions on federal, state, county and municipal government levels. All states review their erosion and sediment control manuals to reflect new information on best management practices, and many are requiring that erosion and sediment control practices meet a minimum performance standard. Most of the prior products do not provide compliance with the new act. As examples of a few of the many prior art processes and products for erosion control reference is made to U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2004/0005198A1 and no. 2004/0133176A1.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide an erosion control and water clarification system and method that exceed the new standards for storm water run-off.
Another object of the present invention is to provide compliant erosion control and water clarification and filtration systems that can be quickly installed and removed, require limited site preparation or staking, and are low maintenance during and after installation, and result in improved water flow.
Another object of the present invention is to provide compliant erosion control and water clarification products that are easily configured to the landscape, contour, or lay out of the site and conform effectively to the soil, sand, rock, and paved surfaces at the site to provide superior soil confinement with minimal land disturbing activity. However, the invention may also be used where there has been no land disturbance and it is desirable to control surface water flow.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an effective erosion control method and means that can be readily used in a wide variety of applications.